50 charged in VN for smuggling heroin in prison
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Police charged 50 people for alleged involvement in a heroin smuggling ring at a prison in northern Vietnam, an official said yesterday.
Most of those arrested were inmates at Tan Lap prison, located about 80 kilometres northwest of Hanoi, local media reported, without specifying who else was arrested.
Prisoners allegedly placed orders for heroin with a former inmate who coordinated with others outside the prison to hide the drugs in places where the inmates were sent to work. In Vietnam, prisoners are often required to perform supervised labour outside prison.
Payment was made via bank transfers from accounts belonging to people outside the prison with connections to the inmates, the official said.
The investigation began in January 2013 when one inmate was found with a bucket containing 25 packages of heroin.
